USPTO

The passage last week of sweeping patent reforms may have finally given American businesses and innovators the boost they need to stay competitive in a global economy. But analysts and observers, including a former Under Secretary of Commerce, say it will take a lot more than the America Invents Act of 2011 to ensure the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can become a facilitator of growth in a stalled economy.

The Senate on Sept. 8 passed the America Invents Act by an overwhelming 89-9 vote, ushering in an era of patent reform that American businesses have been urging for the better part of the past decade. Keep reading →

Cloud computing, telework and data center consolidation–and a cross section of senior federal IT officials–took center stage at a conference yesterday to discuss ways to use information technology to reduce the total cost of government.

While nobody was willing to predict how the federal budget crunch was likely to impact specific government IT programs, most agreed that cloud computing, telework and data center consolidation are the three major initiatives that federal CIOs and managers must come to terms with in the coming budget cycle. Keep reading →